Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Shoshone’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Shoshone at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Shoshone’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Shoshone’s place in Idaho beside it.
What a year in Shoshone feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 123 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 24 and the first by September 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Richfield, ID, 15 miles from the town’s center, 340 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Shoshone’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −5°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 29 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Richfield, ID, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 10 inches a year; December is the wettest month and July the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 64 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Shoshone
94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Richfield, ID.
Living with Shoshone’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
123 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by May 24 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 1.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Shoshone from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Shoshone and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Shoshone yet.
Climates most like Shoshone’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoshone, ID | 18° | 90° | 10" | 29" |
| Gallup, NM | 17° | 88° | 10" | 34" |
| Eagle Mountain, UT | 18° | 91° | 10" | 26" |
| Montrose, CO | 15° | 90° | 10" | 22" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Shoshone averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 76% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Shoshone compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Shoshone’s place among Idaho’s.
Shoshone weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Shoshone’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Richfield, ID. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 18° | 1.5" | 11.5" | 8 | 24 | 18° – 35° |
| February | 40° | 21° | 0.9" | 6.7" | 7 | 15 | 22° – 39° |
| March | 51° | 28° | 1.1" | 1.0" | 7 | 7 | 33° – 45° |
| April | 59° | 34° | 0.8" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 | 41° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 41° | 1.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 48° – 62° |
| June | 79° | 48° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| July | 90° | 56° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 62° – 78° |
| August | 88° | 54° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| September | 77° | 45° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| October | 63° | 35° | 0.8" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| November | 46° | 26° | 1.0" | 2.1" | 6 | 2 | 28° – 42° |
| December | 34° | 19° | 1.6" | 6.9" | 8 | 14 | 21° – 33° |
| Year | 61° | 35° | 10.1" | 28.6" | 64 | 62 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 39°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Shoshone’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Shoshone’s center.
- Snow: Richfield, ID.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Richfield, ID, 15 miles from the town’s center, 340 ft higher; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Shoshone’s climate
What is the weather like in Shoshone?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Shoshone in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 185 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Shoshone get?
About 29 inches in a normal winter at Richfield, ID, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 62 days a year.
How hot does it get in Shoshone?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 56°. About 37 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Richfield, ID).
When is the first and last frost in Shoshone?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 24 and the first fall frost by September 26, about 123 frost-free days, at Richfield, ID.
What growing zone is Shoshone in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Shoshone?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Shoshone getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 76% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Shoshone.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.